The Law of Action

People had start their life with big dreams and high ambitions. Some people achieve them. But when they arrive there they are still not happy. Some don’t and find that things don’t pan out to be as they had planned. For both, this is the beginning of a series of negative emotions starting from disappointments to despair at one end and of course violence in the wish to achieve the goals of happiness at whatever costs.

Therefore every man is pulled into a series of painful sufferings. But there is no respite from action.

It therefore appears as if our desires or ambition manifest to create some momentum of action in us. The mistake we make, in our ignorance, is that we believe once we think or dream of it, it will come true , if we work hard for it. Or that we need to achieve it hook or by crook.

Once we start the action, we see that the direction and outcome is then controlled by the forces of the universe. It seems no longer in our hands.

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There are obstacles and there are encouragements. But we, in our ignorance appear to be so focused on the outcome that it appears to be the single most force that drives us.

Thus if the effort succeeds we are happy. If it fails we are disappointed. We seem to not “see” that disappointment only comes because we had goal or an outcome in mind. As though, the element “disappointment” in us is created with a combination of goal and effort.

The other element that is created is Fear. All action seem to stem from fear. Fear of not meeting goals. Or Ambitions. So our life is led with pain – comprising largely of fear, anxiety and disappointments.

Buddha’s first noble truth says “This birth is dukkha”. Suffering is all pervasive.

So then how do we operate?

The Gita says

(a) “Renounce the fruits of action”

(b) “Struggle without agitation”

If things don’t happen the way we planned, then It meant that the Universe meant the action for something else. This of course is tricky. One needs to grapple with a problem before concluding on its outcome. Gita also says - Inaction is not an option.

Action done with passion seems to be the key seat of action at my level. It provides the maximum energy for the action. If I were to aspect energy and direction as two components of action, passion would give the maximum energy.

The scriptures and the sages suggest that action should be like a duty to prevent Karma accumulation. Or surrendering all works to Krishna as the Gita says.

But it appears that action done like a duty is like a chore, listless, and without any spring or life in it. One can see the difference when someone does an action as a duty and when someone does it with passion.

So it feels as though while action done as duty is good advice, it does not maybe produce good action in terms of the best possible way to do it – either by way of the process or of the quality of the outcome.

So what now?

So maybe there is a point at the completion of the action to drop the results or fruits of the action. Break out of the momentum of the action once the action is complete. So maybe one relinquishes the fruit of action at the point of completion of the action. Be at that point where the projected future is shut off and the past of the action is equally demolished.

We use the force of the ego to power the action and then drop it before the momentum of action takes over. This is the essential sacrifice that is demanded of the human incarnation.

The search for a seeker therefore is to understand the Law of when to Act, and when to remain in an active Receptivity.